What affects your feeding plan?
Short version: see the overview
Five factors determine the feeding plan: the quality of the forage, the horse's weight, the workload, the horse's physical and mental health, and the rider and tack.
If you don't have a forage analysis, feed at Ekstra level. If you don't know the weight, work it out from the girth measurement.
The five factors at a glance
| Factor | What it affects | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Grass, hay and haylage | How much vitamin and mineral supplement and how much fibre mash the horse needs | Buy analysed forage, or have the analysis done yourself |
| The horse's weight | All dosages, which are calculated per 100 kg of horse | Weigh or measure the horse, and dose according to its current weight |
| The workload | Which level in the dosage chart you use | Count minutes per session and sessions per week |
| Health, physical and mental | The overall strain and therefore the requirement | Look at body, surroundings, relationships and stress level |
| Rider and tack | The strain during work | Keep the weight below 20% of the horse's weight, and ride in balance |
1. Grass, hay and haylage
The quality of the forage you give your horse has a big influence on how much vitamin and mineral supplement and how much fibre mash your horse needs. It is important that you know the quality of your forage, so we recommend that you either buy forage from a supplier who has had the products analysed, or have the analysis done yourself.
If you have an analysis and the mineral values are roughly as shown below, you can safely use the normal dosage of, for example, Every Day Happy, Peak Performance or Supreme Minerals.
| Mineral | Value in the forage dry matter |
|---|---|
| Copper | 4 to 5 mg/kg |
| Zinc | 20 to 22 mg/kg |
| Manganese | 40 to 50 mg/kg |
| Iron | 100 to 110 mg/kg |
| Calcium | approx. 4 g/kg |
| Phosphorus | 2.0 to 3.0 g/kg |
Horses absorb only 10 to 15% of the iron in forage, and many Danish analyses show low values. If your analysis is low, particularly in iron, we recommend Ekstra to Maximum.
No analysis? Then feed at Ekstra level. It is our standard and the best way to make sure your horse gets enough of the important trace minerals, even if you don't know exactly what your forage contains.
2. The horse's weight
Weight is the number all dosages are calculated from. If you don't have a weight, or your horse hasn't been weighed recently, there is a good rule of thumb. You will need a measuring tape and a calculator.
- Stand your horse on level ground, resting on all four legs.
- Measure around the horse's belly at the girth.
- Pull the tape snug so it lies right against the coat.
The formula: girth in metres cubed, multiplied by 80, equals body weight in kg. The measurement must be in metres, so 170 cm is 1.7 m.
Example: 1.7 × 1.7 × 1.7 × 80 ≈ 392 kg. The 392 kg is an informed estimate of your horse's weight.
Overweight, too thin or just right
How do you know whether your horse is a normal weight, overweight or too thin? There is a good rule of thumb, and the starting point is the horse's rearmost ribs. It's a good idea to feel for them whenever you are with your horse anyway, so you notice any changes in weight.
| Body condition | How the rearmost ribs feel |
|---|---|
| Normal | You can't see the ribs, but you can easily feel them under the skin when you run your hand lightly over them |
| Overweight | You can't feel the ribs without pressing hard with your fingers |
| Underweight | You can clearly both see and feel the rearmost ribs |
Remember to always give vitamins and minerals according to the horse's current weight, not the desired ideal weight. Measure at least once a month, and every week while the horse is changing.
3. The workload
After weight, workload is the most important factor, because it decides which level in the dosage chart you should use. The level is set from minutes per session and number of sessions per week.
| Workload | Total time per session | Weekly training |
|---|---|---|
| Light work and turnout | 0:40 | 1 to 6 times |
| Moderate | 1:15 | 4 to 6 times |
| Demanding | 2:30 | 2 to 3 times |
4. The horse's health
Health generally has a big influence on the strain on the horse, and it should be assessed both physically and mentally. The physical side covers health, conformation, muscling and weight, and the conditions the horse works and lives in: stable and paddock, the arena surface, and woodland tracks, beach and water.
The mental side and the horse's stress level are affected by health and injuries, by social skills and relationships within the herd, and by the physical surroundings. Some of these elements are very often forgotten or overlooked, and in the long run that harms the horse.
5. Rider and tack
Two questions are key here: how much do the rider and tack weigh relative to the horse's weight, and how balanced is the rider?
- The optimal ratio between the weight of rider and tack and the horse's normal body weight is 1:5.
- If the weight of you and your tack exceeds 20% of the horse's weight, you should compensate with a larger daily dosage, because the strain on the horse is increased.
- A rider or tack that sits crooked on the horse also increases the strain and requires a larger daily ration of vitamins, minerals and herbs.
When one of the numbers is missing
- No mineral analysis of the forage: feed at Ekstra level
- No weight: work out the weight from the girth measurement, and measure in the same place every time
- Unsure about body condition: feel the rearmost ribs, and repeat the assessment in a week
- The horse falls between two work levels: assess by both total time per session and number of sessions per week
Feeding plan
If you're unsure how to feed your horse, if it has special needs, or if it is struggling in any way, you can book a consultation with our nutrition consultant and get an individual feeding plan.
Glossary and frequently asked questions
The feed terms, i.e. forage, roughage, bucket feed, concentrates, complete feed and supplementary feed, and the answers to the most common questions about soaking, dry weight and mash are gathered in one place.
